Exercises for heel-wearers
1. DANCER’S POSE: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your left knee and grab your left ankle with your left hand. Raise your left arm toward the ceiling bringing leg up. Keep both knees facing forward and your right leg straight. Tilt your hips forward and let your left leg extend behind you — until you feel a stretch across your chest and hip. Look directly in front of you and keep your right raised arm parallel to the ground. Try to hold this pose for one minute. Repeat twice on each side.
What it does: Wearing high heels causes the hip flexors to tighten resulting in your pelvis tilting forward. This posture not only helps to stretch your hip flexors it also strengthens your core, glutes and legs simultaneously which are all responsible for stabilizing you
while you walk in high heels, says Dr. Liza. 2. STANDING
FORWARD FOLD: Begin standing with your hands on your hips and your feet hip-width apart. Exhale as you bend forward at the hips. Slide your hands so you are holding an elbow with the opposite hand. Let the crown of your head hang down. Press your heels into the floor and lift your sit bones toward the ceiling. Bring your fingertips in line with your toes and press your palms on the floor. Let the balls of your feet absorb your weight, keeping your hips aligned over your ankles. Slowly breath in and out slightly lifting and lengthening your torso with each inhalation. Hold the pose for up to one minute. To release, place your hands on your hips, slightly bend your knees, maintain a flat back, inhale and return to standing. Repeat several times each day.
What it does: This is a great stretch for the hamstrings and calf muscles. Since the calf muscles and hamstrings shorten when you wear heels it is important to elongate and stretch them to prevent calf, foot and Achilles’ problems, says Dr. Liza. 3. TOPPLING TREE: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Looking straight ahead, extend your arms over your head and interlock your fingers, releasing your pointer fingers and pointing them toward the ceiling. Take one step in front of you and with your front knee slightly bent, slowly bend forward keeping your back leg in line with your body. Bend until your back is parallel to the floor. You will look like a ‘T’ from the side.
Hold this posture for 10 seconds. Repeat twice on each side. What it does: By engaging your glutes and core at the same time, this pose helps to strengthen muscles necessary to walk in high heels. Balancing while you are toppled forward also helps to strengthen the arches in your foot to provide additional support while you are wearing heels. This will help prevent foot problems such as neuromas and bunions, Dr. Liza says.